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"If just half of New Zealand’s light vehicles were electric and plugged into [vehicle-to-grid], they would be able to push out the equivalent power of all of our nation’s power stations combined," says Queenstown Electrification Accelerator (QEA) lead Josh Ellison. That's the promise of V2G and the NZ Herald's Chris Keall has looked into the potential and pitfalls of the technology (paywalled).
The QEA and EECA are kicking off the country's biggest V2G trial in Queenstown and it will run for the next 18 months. The goal is to examine how consumers use the technology and iron out any technical issues so it can be rolled out smoothly nationwide. While cars that run appliances (often known as V2L) or charge other EVs is now common, V2G is not universal and there are lingering concerns among owners about voiding warranties, but manufacturers like BYD and new Chinese brand Zeekr are on board for the trial and are prooviding exemptions.
BYD General Manager Warren Wilmot says "it will include V2G as a standard, warranty-covered feature across all models by 2027".
As well as the savings from either avoiding high peak charges or the payments from exporting, there is also the added security. These big batteries could be crucial in the event of an emergency where the grid goes down.
As Ellison says: “Cars store a lot of energy. When that’s in a petrol tank, it’s not good for much else than driving ... With electric cars, you’re now getting a battery that can be used to power your home or your business. A new electric car has about three or four days of household energy in its battery.” And when you factor in solar, these batteries can keep being charged.
Find out more about the trial here.
Political Power has gone local! Dr Nick Smith, mayor of Nelson and ex-National Party minister, is an early adopter when it comes to electric machines but, through his efforts with the council and his close involvement with the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme, he's also embracing one of Rewiring's core mantras: once you've electrified your own life, electrify someone else's life, too.
Read moreDownloadWhether it's the growing number of electric buses, new electric trains for the lower North Island and City Rail Link, or new electric ferries, we love seeing more electric transport options in our big cities. It's also good to see some of our smaller cities like Palmerston North, Timaru and Nelson going electric and, as is almost always the case, the drivers reckon it's better on electrons. At the Electrify Nelson expo, we spoke with one driver Lee about the city's electric buses. And he definitely wouldn't go back to diesel.
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